3
Hard Drive Identification
IDE stands for Integrated Drive Electronics and EIDE is Enhanced IDE. The IDE or EIDE interface is
designed to support two devices – typically hard drives – on a single ribbon cable through one 40 pin
connector on the mother board or interface card.
Some mother boards and interface cards may have a second IDE/EIDE connector to support two additional
IDE devices. The IDE/EIDE interface is identified as a primary or secondary interface. In systems with only a
single connector on the mother board or interface card, it is the primary IDE/EIDE interface and requires a
special interface card to add a secondary IDE/EIDE interface to the system. In systems with two connectors on
the mother board or interface card, one is identified as the primary and the other as the secondary.
The primary interface must be used for at least one IDE device before connecting any devices to the
secondary IDE interface.
The ribbon cable used is limited to a maximum length of 18 inches (per ANSI standards) and has two or three
40 pin connectors. This cable is referred to as a parallel cable and IDE devices may be connected any where on
the cable. One of the connectors is attached to the IDE connector on the mother board or interface card and
the remaining connector(s) are available for the IDE devices.
Identifying IDE Devices on the Interface
Each IDE interface (connector) supports one or two IDE devices on the ribbon cable. Each device must be
identified as either the Master or Slave device on that interface (cable). Each cable must have a Master before it
can have a Slave device on the cable. There cannot be two Master or two Slave devices on the same cable.
IDE devices use jumpers to designate the Master/Slave identification of the device. Each manufacturer may
have its own jumpering scheme to identify the device as a Master or Slave and its relationship to other IDE
devices attached to the same cable.
Primary/Master/Slave Definitions
Some hard drive manufacturers use three definitions, Primary, Master and Slave. The manufacturers which use
the three definitions define "Primary" as the only IDE device on the interface cable; "Master" as the 1st IDE
device on the interface cable; and "Slave" as the 2nd device on the interface cable. Maxtor uses only two
definitions that of Master and Slave devices on the IDE interface. Maxtor's "Master" definition performs both
the "Primary" and "Master" definitions used by other hard drive manufacturers with a single jumper setting.
Jumper Settings
A jumper is a small piece of plastic that slides over a pair of configuration pins on the drive to activate a specific
function. The jumper illustration below shows three valid jumper settings for Maxtor hard drives – Master,
Slave and Cable Select. Maxtor hard drives can be set as either a Master or a Slave device. There are no other
jumpers to set when the Maxtor hard drive is installed on the same ribbon cable with another IDE device.
Rear View of Maxtor Hard Drive
Master, Slave and Cable Select Settings
INSTALLATION
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